What We Do In The Shadows
by Senna-E Tano
Summary: Ahsoka could only feel agony when she discovered her Master had become a Sith. She did not expect their long awaited reunion to end in her demise. Yet moments after her death, she was transported to an alternate timeline where Anakin fought alongside the Separatists and everything else she knew was turned upside down. She could only guess what nonsense the Force stuck in her now.


**AN: I haven't watched Rebels yet so bear with me lol This is my first story so feedback is greatly appreciated.**

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In Ahsoka's current situation, hope was but the faintest of whispers. She could not hear it over the humming of the lightsaber positioned at her heart, ready to take her life in a matter of seconds. Perhaps this was the Force telling her that she made a mistake leaving the Jedi and forging her own path. She wasn't exactly a saint from her experiences as a lone traveler across the galaxy. She developed many faces and names, unable to believe that Ahsoka Tano was capable of surviving in the unknown without her Master at her side. She had learned a lot but the dirty and gritty part of the galaxy was cruel. Fulcrum, informant for the Rebels, was her latest one and certainly her proudest. But it was this identity that currently had her on her knees and about to face execution.

"Any last words?" Darth Vader tilted his head as he stared down at her.

Ahsoka mulled over his words and smiled bitterly. She had many things to tell him but he probably wasn't going to let her live long enough to say an entire speech. And if she started her last words with 'Anakin' then the lightsaber would be rammed into her chest faster than she could say Naboo. She knew that she was the last person still alive that reminded him of the Light he once held. Ahsoka could barely stand upright after she heard about Padme's death around the same time the Purge began. She was a dear friend that Ahsoka loved deeply and unconditionally. Despite no longer being a part of the Order, it was hard not overhear the gossip at the local cantina of whatever planet she happened to be on. So many people were lost since Ahsoka left and it made her wonder if a difference could have been made if she did not leave. Yet her absence was what saved her life. She inhaled sharply as the tears gathered in the corner of her eyes once more. _Of course I'm going to cry right before I die_ , she thought with gritted teeth. Ahsoka blinked repeatedly to clear her vision and she stared up at the mask that reminded her of Death itself.

"Are you proud of me?" her lips twisted into a distorted smile. It represented the day she left him and the future that lacked the teachings of the Jedi. Here she was, still fighting on the side of the Light despite turning away from the Order. Did he hate her? Yet his voice in her vision nearly shook her at her core. ' _Ahsoka, why did you leave?_ ' he had said and she wondered if there was a soft spoken 'me' at the end of the sentence. His first words did not consist of a taunt nor threat. He had asked her a simple question that was filled with raw emotion. He sounded the same way he did when she left him sixteen years ago.

Anakin's biggest fear was having people leave him, and she walked away from him. Not the best decision of her life, that was.

"Proud?" he exhaled softly and slowly raised the lightsaber from her chest to her neck. "Why would I be proud of a fool?" the tightening of his grip on the lightsaber did not go unnoticed. As much as he wished to forget his former self, Ahsoka was going to remind him of the truth every second.

She closed her eyes and raised her chin. It was not the response she expected and she may have just well expedited her funeral. Which was mostly likely her getting tossed into the nearest pit of fire. The corners of her lips twitched before she opened her eyes to see the face of Anakin Skywalker. She made the right choice in saying her goodbyes.

"I'm sorry I left you, _Master_."

Her death had been quick and painless. Uneventful yet peaceful. Even though she was not ready to die, she accepted her execution at the hand of her former Master. Even though she had been devastated to learn of his fate, she still loved him as she did sixteen years ago. She did not see how quickly the lightsaber went back to chest, where it struck her heart in one quick stab. His former title had become the trigger for her demise, and Ahsoka knew that it would be. She at least wanted to apologize before her life was taken away. Maybe it wasn't the best way she wanted to go, but she did put up quite the fight. The wound on his thigh would be a permanent reminder of their reunion. She wondered if she would see her old friends, if she could ask them the same question she asked Vader.

Bright, white light blinded her vision and she felt like she was staring directly at a sun despite having her eyes closed. A soft hand briefly touched her forehead, and a warmth spread through her body. A feeling of belonging ignited a flame within her chest and if this was what death felt like, Ahsoka was glad.

" _It's not time for you to sleep yet, Ahsoka_." It sounded like Padme's voice and Ahsoka wondered what game the Force played with her now. Soon after, the phrase was repeated several times and each time it was said by a different voice. Plo Koon, Luminara, Yoda, Windu, Fisto, Aayala, and everyone else she knew within the Order spoke clearly within her mind to the point Ahsoka had a feeling she wasn't dead anymore.

Ahsoka felt as if she had been trapped under cold water when a sudden burst air filled her lungs. She wheezed and coughed as she sat up, holding her chest as if her ribs were going to collapse. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the feeling they were full of sand. Once she could properly see, she attempted to stand but her quivering knees proved it to be a challenge. She snorted when she found her predicament to be rather ironic. Even if she died voluntarily, Ahsoka still couldn't follow orders like staying dead. Once a student of a Skywalker, always a student of a Skywalker.

"I'm alive," she whispered as she placed her hands where her heart was. No hole, no blood. Its steady beating reassured her that she was, in fact, no longer dead. It was hard to believe she even died at all, but she knew Vader was not going to let her leave his presence unharmed.

After regaining her sense of balance, she regarded the setting around her and it was safe to say she had no idea where she was. She was in a jungle of sorts with large mushrooms. She couldn't see the sky and she heard running water somewhere nearby. Thankfully the atmosphere was able to support humanoid life.

"Perfect." Ahsoka shook her head and touched one of her lek as a means to ease her anxiety, but she noticed something was amiss. They were shorter than what she remembered, way shorter. She looked down to see they were now above her breast, and she frowned. She needed to see her reflection, and she looked around to find the source of running water. A river would do.

She began her trek to the right and pushed past a series of bushes. Ahsoka made a face at a rather nasty looking centipede. After at least twenty steps, she squeezed through two leaning trees and sighed in relief when she saw the small waterfall with a narrow stream at the bottom. She collapsed to her knees at the ridge and gathered water into her palms before drinking. If it was poisonous, so be it. She was thirsty and dealt with rather a lot today. She was surprised that she had yet to collapse in exhaustion. After sensing that the water was not harming her, she gathered more in her palms to wash her face. She shook her head slightly and leaned forward to get a good look at her face. She practically screamed at what stared back at her.

"No, no, no." Ahsoka swiped at her reflection in the crystal blue water and stood up. She was in denial, if it was hard to tell from the way she paced and folded her arms. "This can't be." She touched her throat and scowled. She should have realized the moment she spoke after waking up.

Ahsoka became younger, de-aged one would say. Judging from her voice and her shortened lekku, she was around the age of twenty but no less than nineteen. Now the Force was really messing with her. Had she been sent back in time? None of this was making sense. She touched her waist with both hands and was surprised to see her two lightsabers still holstered. Ahsoka had been sure they were kicked away when Vader forced her to her knees.

"Okay, okay." She breathed in and out repeatedly to calm herself down. She grabbed her right lightsaber and turned it on, happy to see the familiar white. At least that stayed constant beside her memories. Ahsoka swung it around for good measure and once she was satisfied, she put it back to where it belonged. "Don't freak out, Ahsoka. Don't freak out."

A large explosion in the distance caused her to trip and tumble face first.

"Okay," she inhaled sharply and made no move to get up from the still shaking earth. "I am freaking out." Ahsoka rolled over onto her back and sat up. A distant roaring caught her attention and she immediately began to scale the nearest tree. When she poked her head out of the foliage, her heart jumped out of her chest and into the ground below.

Troop carriers belonging to the Republic were flying above her and towards the explosion.

The onslaught of curses that were far too inappropriate for even a bounty hunter's ears shot out of Ahsoka's mouth like a trooper standard mini gun. She had not swore like this for years, but it was the only response she could think of towards her predicament. She was back in the Clone Wars and this was proving to be very, very bad.

"I need to find a Jedi." Ahsoka pursed her lips and jumped back down into the jungle. As much as she didn't want to fight in the same war once more, it was still happening and she could not ignore it. Even if the simplest of solutions meant finding a cave and hiding out until everything was over with. Yoda and Plo Koon would hound her for days. But she was absolutely certain the war ended when she was sixteen, not twenty or whatever her age was now.

She grabbed one of her lightsabers and began to run towards the explosion. What better place to find a Jedi than in the middle of the battlefield? Ahsoka snorted to herself and cut any low branches that were in her way. The closer she got, the louder the firing of blasters became. She could have sworn she heard the infamous 'roger, roger.'

"Quick, move, move! General Plo Koon is awaiting reinforcements!" a clone shouted as he pointed the troops to the north where the smoke was.

Ahsoka ducked behind a tree and watched as they all ran. She considered it to be her lucky day. Plo Koon was probably the best person for her to speak to besides Yoda. She couldn't fathom the thought of seeing Anakin anytime soon without fearing he would cut her down with little to no hesitation. She took out her other lightsaber and followed the clone troops as discreetly as possible. She needed to play this smart or this whole thing would blow up in her face. She quickly dodged flying debris and shook her head. Hit her in the face was more like it.

Realizing that the trees stopped several feet away from the fighting, she had no choice but to jump out and join the fray. Ahsoka needed to find Plo Koon and fast.

"Another Jedi? We weren't told about this!" a clone shouted as Ahsoka jumped over him.

She landed on her feet and swiped at several tinnies. A sense of nostalgia crawled up her spine and she tried her best to shake the feeling off. It was almost as if she _missed_ the familiar battlefield. Ahsoka silently admitted that this war was far more black and white for her. Or so she thought. Despite confusion of the troops around her, she destroyed from Separatist droids and continued her search for Plo Koon. She could take care of other minor details later. If she was truly in the past, then this encounter with him would surely prove it.

"I forgot how easy you guys were." Ahsoka laughed as she took down a handful at once. She felt like her younger self again. She brought her lightsabers into the reverse grip as her eyes scanned for the Kel Dor. She spotted his breath mask from afar and grinned. She certainly missed _him_. "Master Plo Koon! Master Plo Koon!" she shouted as she destroyed more droids on the way to the Jedi Knight. She jumped high and landed at his side with a slight skid.

He regarded her with a surprised expression but did not stop attacking. "Who are you?"

"What?" she slightly faltered at his question. He was the first Jedi she ever met and yet he did not remember her. Ahsoka grimaced and stabbed a twitching droid at her feet.

"I said, _who_ are you?" Plo Koon asked again, believing her response to be from lack of hearing.

She took a deep breath as she stared down at a fallen droid, "my name is Ahsoka Tano and I think I can help you win this war in a way you can't imagine."


End file.
